MADURA DISEASE 



329 





enlargement and distortion of the part and frequently caries and 

 necrosis of the bones. Within the softened cavities and also in 

 the spaces between the fibrous tissue, small rounded bodies or 

 granules, bearing a certain resemblance to the actinomyces, are 

 present. These may have a yellowish or pinkish colour, com- 

 pared from their appearance to fish roe, or they may be black 

 like grains of gunpowder, and may by their conglomeration 

 form nodules of considerable size. Hence a pale variety and a 

 black variety of the disease have been distinguished ; in both 

 varieties the granules mentioned reach a rather larger size than 

 in actinomycosis. These 

 two conditions will be 

 considered separately. 



Pale Variety. When 

 the roe-like granules an- 

 examined microscopically, 

 tIn-\ are found, like the 

 actiiiomyces, to show in 

 their interior an abundant 

 mass of branching fila- 

 ments witli mycelial 

 arrangement. There may 

 also be present at the 

 periphery club-like struc- 

 tures, as in actinomyces ; 

 sometimes they are ab- 

 sent. These structures 

 often have an elongated 

 \ve<lge-shape, forming an 

 outer zone to the colony, 



and in some cases the filaments can be found to be connected with 

 them. Vincent obtained cultures of the parasite from a case in 

 Algiers, and found it to be a distinct species : it is now known 

 as the streptothrix or discomyces Madurce. Morphologically it 

 closely resembles the actinomyces, but it presents certain differ- 

 ences in cultural characters. In gelatin it forms raised colonies 

 of a yellowish colour, with umbilication of the centre, and there 

 is no liquefaction of the medium. On agar the growth assumes a 

 reddish colour ; the organism flourishes well in various vegetable 

 infusions in which" the actinomyces does not grow. On all the 

 media growth only takes place in aerobic conditions. Experi- 

 mental inoculation of various animals has failed to reproduce the 

 There is therefore no doubt that the streptothrix 

 madimr and the actiuomyces are distinct species. 



Fie. 98. Streptothrix Madura', showing 

 branching filaments. From a culture on 



agar. 

 Stained with carbol-tliiomn-MiU'. 



xlOOO. 



